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Lewis and Clark Expedition
Nathan Greene Lewis and Clark Introduction The Lewis and Clark Expedition was brought on by the need to explore the new Louisiana Territory purchased from France, after its completion it provided the framework for the settlement of western America. The core goal of the expedition was to find and accurately map out a waterway route connecting eastern America to the Pacific ocean. During their expedition, Lewis and Clark left behind a, for the most part, positive feeling among indians. Their treatment of the indians contributed to their almost inconceivable success, including their findings on everything from the surrounding territory to individual indian tribe needs on the subject of trade. The Expedition made by the Corps of Discovery laid the framework for what would become the pathway for America’s westward expansion from coast to coast. Background What led to the need for the Lewis and Clark Expedition was the Louisiana Purchase, a purchase made from the French that effectively doubled the size of America. The French need to sell all that land was brought upon by troubles in Haiti that resulted in the deaths of 30,000 of France’s finest soldiers and created a lack of desire for expansion in the New World. Jefferson was so eager to get the deal closed, he confirmed the purchase without the consent of Congress. To Jefferson, the amount of land he was adding to the country played exactly into his view of how society should be, Agrarian based. That idea of a model society of agriculture and liberty would be further enabled by such a huge addition to possible land that Americans could settle. The p roblem with that goal for the average American, there was an absence of confirmed knowledge about what lay between the Mississippi and the Pacific coast. To solve this problem, and forever change the course of history, Jefferson created the Corps of Discovery whose sole purpose was to record and note everything they saw while on their journey to the west coast. Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis, his secretary, but also a capable frontiersman to lead the Corps. William Clark, a fantastic frontiersman who was friends with Lewis, would be convinced to take part in the expedition while unofficially being the co-leader of the Corps with Lewis (National Archives Par. 2). Together they would accumulate a full military based group whose goal, at its core, was to find a water link between the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean. An expansion on that goal was, by finding a water route and mapping the way as well as describing the terrain, Americans would be able to not only maintain effective trade from America’s interior but also know what type of region they were moving into. That possibility of increased westward expansion is what drove Jefferson to create and promote such a dangerous expedition, as it played perfectly into his vision of America’s future. The Expedition On May 14th, 1804 the Corps of Discovery left from St. Louis, Missouri, and began the two year scientific expedition that would map out the possibilities for future settlement of the Louisiana Territory. Through their journey, they would discover and record the game present in each location, water sources, daily weather reports, terrain of the land, what types of natives they met, and possible resources for profit. All of the information they recorded was with the desire to give people a reason and background information on where they would could move in Louisiana. The fur trade was highly promoted by the expedition as being a source of a very profitable reason to move to places such as upper Missouri, Yellowstone River, and the Rocky Mountain area(National Park Service Par. 2-5). These areas would quickly become the focal point for pioneers seeking to make a living off the new profitability of the west. Lewis and Clark set a relatively unheard of standard when dealing with the Native Americans along the way, they took care to not offend the indians as well as treat them with respect. An example of both Lewis and Clark’s different yet immensely noble thinking was during expedition wide votes, both Sacajawea and Clark’s slave, York, were allowed to vote, 60 years before the abolition of slavery and 100 years before women’s rights were recognized(Journal 11-4-1804). The recordings they took were based off indian reaction to the way they were treated by the Corps, later during the rush of land hungry pioneers some of the indians marked by Lewis as friendly would be infuriated enough to resist the expansion with violence. However, for the most part the records taken by Lewis helped settlers to only move near indians who were marked for a desire to trade for mutual benefit for things such as fur or modern technology(National Park Service Par. 6-8). Lewis identified 178 new plants, including bitterroot, prairie sagebrush, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine, and also he recorded 122 animals, such as grizzly bear, prairie dog, and antelope(Britannica Par. 3). The most important contribution this discovery made to westward expansion was the creation of a viable map of western land, because at this time few white men had been deep enough into the Louisiana territory, none had taken the time to map it. These maps would prove vital for initial westward expansion and eventually the cornerstone for the creation of more accurate maps as time progressed and the territory was settled further. Though his maps were somewhat crude in nature, they provided something that had previously not existed for Americans, a geographical idea of what lay out west. Significance The significance Lewis and Clark Expedition had on America is vast, they gave people a viable place to go for people who previously would have been confined to the eastern half of the country. The expedition performed exactly as Jefferson had hoped, by creating the framework for westward expansion. The extreme amount of notes Lewis took about the weather, natives, plants, terrain, animals, and profitable resources of the Louisiana Territory created the ability for forward thinking Americans to occupy and settle it. These people were explorers, as well as trappers, traders, hunters, adventurers, prospectors, ranchers, soldiers, missionaries, Indian agents, and even businessmen looking to benefit off the newly found land opportunities. They filled in the somewhat lacking map, blazed the trails, traded in furs, mined, tilled the soil, brought livestock, constructed railroads and roads, founded towns, established industries, and formed Territories which eventually became States. These people created the American goal of constant westward expansion, they conquered the west and carried America to the shores of the Pacific(National Park Service Par. 2) The impact on known science at the time was impacted on a scale not seen since the initial discovery of the New World. Hundreds of previously unknown species were recorded that would keep scientists busy for years sorting and classifying the discoveries made by the Corps. Conclusion The data and maps created by the Lewis and Clark expedition created the foundation for the unique opportunity frontiersmen would take advantage of, expansion west. The Corps not only discovered new places, they also were forward thinkers on what extent equality should be enforced. Through this thinking they proved their worth as the embodiment of the American future. The Corps of Discovery enabled America’s future as a coast to coast nation and also showed forward thinking towards equality. Works Cited “The Corp of Discovery Revealing the American West.” Eastern Illinois University Webpage. N.p., 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. . “Journal August 3, 1804.” The Journals of Lewis and Clark Expedition. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. . “Journal November 4, 1804.” The Journals of Lewis and Clark Expidition. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. . “Lewis and Clark.” History Online Books. N.p., 22 Feb. 2004. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. . “Lewis and Clark Expedition.” Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 574-576. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. “Lewis and Clark Expedition.” Britannica School.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. "Remembering Lewis and Clark, 205 Years Later." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. “Sacagawea.” Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.